Brexit deal: United Kingdom may not to exist in a decade

The United Kingdom might not exist in its current form in a decade, half of its citizens believe, an Ipsos MORI poll found.

The 52-48% vote in 2016 to leave the European Union has strained the bonds that tie England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland into the United Kingdom: Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay while England and Wales voted to leave.

According to REUTERS, the United Kingdom heads towards its latest Brexit deadline of Jan. 31, there are growing demands for an independence referendum in Scotland and a vote on Northern Ireland unifying with the Republic of Ireland.

Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in 2014.

The Ipsos Mori poll showed 50% thought the United Kingdom would not exist in 10 years, up from 43% in 2014. Just 29% said it would exist in its current form in a decade, down from 45% in 2014.

In the shorter term, the fate of the union – which traces its history back to the 1707 Treaty of Union – was also uncertain: 42% said the United Kingdom would exist in five years and 44% said it would not.